MONTREAL – FC Montreal hosts Toronto FC II this Saturday at 7:30pm EDT at the Olympic Stadium for its second game of the USL season, having lost 1-0 in its opening game of the season against Bethlehem Steel FC.
In the inaugural match of FC Montreal’s first USL season, the Reds ruined the party at Olympic Stadium, winning 2-0. Montreal regained its honour in the following game between both teams, winning 1-0 in Toronto. Both teams won a game at home over the rest of the season.
“It’s always been a rivalry, whether it’s with the MLS first team or now in the USL,” said defender Janouk Charbonneau. “We have to start playing our game and be more focused from the start. We need to display our identity from the first whistle.”
This year, the teams will meet three times. The next two games will be played on the opponent’s field at the Ontario Soccer Centre. After the loss against the Steel FC, FC Montreal is 13th in the Eastern Conference standings after only one game played, while Toronto is in the 10th spot. A win would push one or the other team in the middle of the standings.
“We are expecting a game with pace, creativity and a lot of enthusiasm because Toronto is also a young team,” explained head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “This week, we insisted on using density and moving forward after. Everyone is healthy so we should have a good group on Saturday.”
In its first USL game this season, Toronto FC II got a 2-2 tie against New York Red Bulls II. Raheem Edwards and Skylar Thomas scored for the Reds.
The ticket for the MLS game between the Impact and Columbus Crew SC at 4pm at the Olympic Stadium will include access to the USL game at 7:30pm. The doors will also open at 7pm for those who don’t have an MLS ticket. Fans will be seated in general admission on the odd-numbered side, and food concessions will also be open on that side. The Impact boutiques will be open until halftime.
The game will be available via live streaming on //www.impactmontreal.com/fcmontreal.
